The Wiseburn District parent recruiting packet includes a School Accountability Report Card (SARC) fact sheet for each of the district’s schools. Early on, Brann created these documents himself. Now he contracts with School Wise Press to prepare them. Here’s what he says:

What’s in your parent recruiting packet?

"We provide an overview of the district, a description of the arts program, the district calendar, testimonials from parents, and a newspaper article about the impact of our recruiting program. The packet also includes a fact sheet from School Wise Press for each of our schools."

"I value having documents that look professional. Originally, I wrote the SARCs and our district’s architects designed them. They looked good. But as the legislative requirements increased, doing all the work to keep it legal took too much of my time. When I saw what School Wise Press could do, I shifted my business to them. I want to work with a firm that does SARCs for a living. "

What’s the role of SARCs in marketing?

"While other administrators may see the SARC as just another legislative requirement, I see its value as a money maker for us. Parents who are shopping for schools collect SARCs—to see whether to put their children in your school. So I want to do more than the minimum. I want to have reports and fact sheets that enhance my ability to market to more sophisticated parents. That’s what I get with School Wise Press."

When do you use fact sheets instead of the whole report?

"We offer small class size and high scores, a safe environment, good discipline, and highly qualified teachers. All parents want to know about these things—and the fact sheets show them very well. Some parents want more details and that’s when I give them the whole report. I try to match the marketing vehicle with the person’s need."